Now into its final month, the 2018 Legislative Session is beginning to wind down – and the bill list has shortened dramatically.

The good news: MASI has helped defeat all legislation we considered to be dangerous to our industry, including many bills that would have burdened our employer members. We applaud our Insurance Chairmen in both the House and Senate, Gary Chism and Videt Carmichael, for their unwavering support each year. Legislation is now dead that would have placed unfunded mandates and burdens on our self-insured workers’ comp and health plans, including a mandate for fertility treatment coverage and a bill to remove the limits on workers’ comp benefits.

The bad news: MASI’s bills to help employers, such as the Workplace Wellness Tax Credit and the Urine Trouble Act, are now dead having failed to gain support in the Senate. In spite of the support of many individual senators, and widespread support in the House, Senate leadership did not allow the bills to move forward. Scroll down for more information.

MASI Lobbies to Restore Fiscal Authority to MWCC

At left, MASI Executive Director Dan Gibson and MWCC Workers’ Comp Commissioner Beth Aldridge meet with Senate Appropriations Chairman Buck Clarke and Senator Josh Harkins in an effort to restore fiscal authority to the MWCC. HB789, unanimously passed by the House of Representatives but killed by leadership in the Senate, would have restored fiscal control to the MWCC and shielded the Administrative Expense Fund from being diverted to fund other agencies.

For our employer members, this is a big issue – and an expensive one. In 2016, SB2362 consolidated most state agencies, including the MS Workers’ Compensation Commission, under the State General Fund. This action allowed the state to begin diverting funds from the MWCC Administrative Expense Fund for spending in other areas. This money, collected from self-insured employers, groups and insurance companies for the purpose of running the MWCC, is now no longer protected, and many thousands of dollars have been diverted to other agencies.

As a result, the MWCC has increased assessments in order to remain solvent, and self-insured employers, groups and insurance companies are now having to pay more in annual assessments than they were paying before SB2362 was passed. In 2016, the assessment went from 1.55% of claims to 1.83% of claims. Last year the assessment was 1.80%. For our self-insured employers and groups, these increases, in excess of 15%, have been significant.

MASI has not given up on the issue however – and we will continue working with legislative leaders to address these funding challenges.

MASI Joins With MS Association Health-Underwriters for MAHU Legislative Day

MASI was honored to host the MAHU Legislative Day for the second year in a row recently, facilitating meetings between the MS Association of Health Underwriters and leaders at the Capitol. After a delicious lunch, MASI and MAHU representatives met with Lt. Governor Tate Reeves, Senators Dean Kirby, Videt Carmichael, Joey Fillingane, and Bob Dearing, and Representatives Gary Chism and Jeff Smith.

They were also recognized from both the Senate and House Galleries.

MASI’s “Urine Trouble Bill” Flushed by Senate Leadership

In spite of enormous national media attention, and almost unanimous passage by the House, HB1080, the Mississippi Urine Trouble Act, is now dead – down the drain – having been flushed by leadership in the Senate.

All puns aside, this bill would have been a major step forward in safeguarding Mississippi’s Drug-Free Workplace. By outlawing the sale of synthetic human urine, it would have given employers peace of mind to know that their employees could no longer buy this product at Mississippi truck stops, tobacco shops, and other outlets, where it is being sold by the thousands.

We cannot speak for the Senate leadership who killed the bill – it seemed to be a no-brainer. But for some reason, in spite of significant support among individual senators, leadership allowed it to die on the calendar.

MASI will continue to work on this issue, hoping that it can pass next year. The safety of Mississippi workers, motorists, and even school children is at stake. We applaud the House for supporting this bill, especially Rep. Andy Gipson for authoring it – and we urge the Senate to get on board in the future.

MASI’s Workplace Wellness Tax Credit has died again, in spite of tremendous support in the House, the lack of support by Senate Leadership doomed it to defeat – this time it did not even make it out of committee.

We appreciate the support of House Ways and Means Chairman Jeff Smith who authored the bill, and also Senate Finance Chairman Joey Fillingane who authored it in the Senate.

We are beginning to lose count of how many years Senate leadership has killed this bill. But we will keep trying.

Judge Goodman received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Mississippi. After graduating from law school in 1992, he was admitted to practice before the Mississippi and Louisiana State Bars where his legal career has consisted of litigation, admiralty and maritime, and workers’ compensation practice. Over the course of his career he has represented insurance companies as well as injured employees in matters pending before the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission.

While in law practice, Judge Goodman served on the Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee and the Technology Committee of the Mississippi Bar, and he is currently a member of the Workers’ Compensation section of the Mississippi Bar. Judge Goodman has been a frequent lecturer to attorneys and insurance adjusters on subjects concerning workers’ compensation practice in Mississippi. Judge Goodman joined the Commission as a senior attorney in 2013, before being appointed to serve as an Administrative Judge in 2018.

As The Voice of One for self-insured healthcare and workers’ comp in Mississippi, MASI wants to serve you! As in years past, we will be hard at work tracking bills and keeping you informed of the ones that concern you. We will endeavor to safeguard our industry from harmful legislation and over-reaching regulation. If at any time you hear of legislation that concerns you, please do not hesitate to contact us!

MASI Joins With MS Association Health-Underwriters this Wednesday for MAHU Legislative Day! Scroll down for details…

Deadlines Shorten Bill List – Dangerous Bills Die

Legislative Deadlines have shortened the bill list – and with a major deadline approaching this Thursday, February 8, the deadline for floor passage of general bills originating in each chamber, the list is about to shorten even more.

Among the dead bills are all of the dangerous Workers’ Comp bills MASI had been working to defeat. Also dead are quite a number of health insurance bills that would have imposed unfunded and expensive coverage mandates on providers of group health insurance. We thank and applaud Senator Videt Carmichael, Senate Insurance Chairman, and Representative Gary Chism, House Insurance Chairman, for their leadership in this effort. At left, the House Insurance Committee, chaired by Rep. Chism, considers legislation.

After Thursday, the process starts all over again for the bills that do pass and then get referred to committees in the other chamber- House bills will go to the Senate and vice versa.

These deadlines do not apply, however, to finance bills such as our Wellness Tax Credit. These bills have until February 21 to be passed by each chamber and then referred to the next.

MASI Joins With MS Association Health-Underwriters this Wednesday for MAHU Legislative Day

All are invited this Wednesday to the MS Trucking Association for a lunch meeting at 11:30 … We will then head to the Capitol to visit with Lt. Governor Tate Reeves and Speaker of the House Philip Gunn. If you’d like to join us, just drop us an e-mail!

Now that the House Judiciary B Committee has passed HB1080, the Mississippi Urine Trouble Act, we now await floor action in the House. We are hopeful the bill will be passed by Thursday’s deadline.

This bill will make the sale of synthetic human urine illegal in Mississippi for the purposes of faking a drug test.

This issue was brought to our attention by MASI member companies who are struggling to maintain a drug-free workplace due to the increased use of SHU – many employees across our state have been using this product to falsify the results of their urine tests.

After a lively and lengthy discussion, the House Jud B committee amended the bill by doubling the penalties and then overwhelmingly passed it. Committee Chairman Andy Gipson authored the bill, and Committee Co-Chairman Willie Bailey will champion the bill during debate. After hopeful passage, the bill will then be referred to the Senate.

MASI’s Workplace Wellness Tax Credit has been introduced in the House. HB1542, authored by House Ways and Means Chairman Jeff Smith, is now pending – and we are hopeful that it will soon pass committee and be sent to the floor for a vote by the full House. We are still waiting on a companion bill to be introduced in the Senate.

The cornerstone of MASI’s 2018 Legislative Agenda, the Workplace Wellness Tax Credit will allow $1 million in tax credits for employers who provide wellness programs for their employees. This is a Win-Win proposal for workers’ comp plans and health plans both! As a revenue bill, we will be facing a February 21 deadline – and we will be sure to keep you posted on its progress.

The House overwhelmingly voted to pass HB789, a “Return to Special Fund Bill” to restore fiscal authority to the MS Workers’ Compensation Commission, reversing the damaging bill passed in 2016 which swept the Administrative Expense Fund into the State General Fund, resulting in increased assessments on many of our members. We applaud Appropriations Chairman John Read, pictured at left with MASI Executive Director Dan Gibson, and Rep. Chris Brown, author of the bill, for their leadership and support.

If you’re like me, you really get tired of hearing about how fat we are. Do we really need anyone to tell us?? Sure we have some of the best cooks in the world, but it’s just awful how much we get picked on. Travel to any other place, especially a foreign country, and it’s easy to see why we are fat – talk about awesome Southern cuisine!

The 2018 Session of the Mississippi Legislature is now in full swing, and only two weeks in, a major milestone has already passed: the deadline for introduction of bills. To keep our members informed, MASI will be sending out legislative updates during the session. These updates will include lists of pending legislation, and you can view a list of these introduced bills by scrolling down.

We will also be assisting with a “Return to Special Fund Bill” to restore fiscal authority to the MS Workers’ Compensation Commission, reversing the damaging bill passed in 2016 which swept the Administrative Expense Fund into the State General Fund, resulting in increased assessments on many of our members. To read MASI’s talking points on the Return to Special Fund Bill, click here.

If you’re like me, you really get tired of hearing about how fat we are. Do we really need anyone to tell us?? Sure we have some of the best cooks in the world, but it’s just awful how much we get picked on. Travel to any other place, especially a foreign country, and it’s easy to see why we are fat – talk about awesome Southern cuisine!

The cornerstone of MASI’s 2018 Legislative Agenda is the Workplace Wellness Tax Credit, to allow $1 million in tax credits for employers who provide wellness programs for their employees. This is a Win-Win proposal for workers’ comp plans and health plans both! As a revenue bill, we will be facing a later deadline than general bills – and we will be sure to keep you posted on its progress.

As The Voice of One for self-insured healthcare and workers’ comp in Mississippi, MASI wants to serve you! As in years past, we will be hard at work tracking bills and keeping you informed of the ones that concern you. We will endeavor to safeguard our industry from harmful legislation and over-reaching regulation. If at any time you hear of legislation that concerns you, please do not hesitate to contact us!

Mississippi’s 2017 Legislative Session is now in the history books – and MASI is pleased to report that all legislation presenting a threat to our members is now dead until next year.

We are grateful to our leaders in the House and the Senate, especially House Insurance Committee Chairman Gary Chism and Senate Insurance Committee Chairman Videt Carmichael for their diligence in safeguarding our members and fighting off attempts to dismantle progress made over the years that would bog down our industry with excess regulation.

MASI Helps to Preserve Workers’ Comp Second Injury Fund

MASI joined hands with the MS Workers’ Comp Commission to safeguard Mississippi’s Workers’ Comp Second Injury Fund. During the last week of the Spring Legislative Session, this special fund was restored to the control of the MS Workers’ Compensation Commission.

We are grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Beth Aldridge, MWCC Commissioner, Senate Appropriations Chairman Buck Clarke of Hollandale, and House Appropriations Chairman John Reed to get the trust fund restored.

This fund, which pays perm/total claims resulting from second injuries, had been swept into the General Fund last year by legislation to consolidate agency accounts. Two bills were passed concurrently to correct this dilemma: SB2625 and HB887.

Senate Confirms Hon. Mark Formby as New MWCC Chairman

MASI congratulates the Hon. Mark Formby who was confirmed by the Mississippi Senate during the closing days of the session to be the next Chairman of the MS Workers’ Comp Commission. Rep. Formby was appointed by Governor Phil Bryant to replace the Hon. Liles Williams, who will soon retire after serving honorably in this position for 12 years.

Representative Formby was born August 16, 1956 in Starkville and is married to the former Rita Gaidamovics and is the father of two children. He is of the Baptist faith. He is a graduate of Pearl River Community College and Mississippi State University, and has represented Pearl River County in the MS House of Representatives since 1993. He has served in numerous leadership positions, including Chairman of Insurance for several years. He was one of the primary leaders in helping MASI pass Mississippi’s Historic Workers’ Comp Reform bill in 2012. Representative Formby is a longtime realtor in Picayune, and is affiliated with the Jaycees, Kiwanis, D.U., Picayune Bass Club, Epsilon Iota Chapter of Alpha Phi Omega and A.L.E.C. He is also the former Legislative Assistant to US Senator Trent Lott.

MASI looks forward to working with Chairman Formby in this exciting new role!

Workplace Wellness Tax Credit Fails to Gain Senate’s Support

Mississippi’s Workplace Wellness Tax Credit is now dead. In spite of passing the House of Representatives by an overwhelming majority, HB1616 failed to get the support of Lt. Governor Tate Reeves, spelling its demise in the Senate.

MASI appreciates the support of Mississippi’s leadership: Governor Phil Bryant, Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney, and Speaker Philip Gunn. We also appreciate the support of House Ways and Means Chairman, Jeff Smith of Columbus, whose tireless support for this progressive initiative has meant so much. Many of our members made appeals to the Senate and to the Lt. Governor to pass this bill, and for this we are grateful. Perhaps in the future, our work will finally bear results.

The Mississippi Association of Self-Insurers, MASI, is committed to representing the interests of the self-insured workers’ comp and health community by promoting knowledge and providing advocacy in legislative and regulatory arenas. We are pleased to report on this year’s legislative session. If you have specific questions, please contact us!